Automatic control device



25, 1944- s. P. BOSOMWORTH AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE Filed lay 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l ITEI .h I Z/l///////////////fll////l/////ll INVENTOR GEORGE I? bosouwom'u ATTORNEYS July 25, 1944. a. P. BOSOMWORTH 2,354,431

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE Filed May 6, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS drone: I? Bosomwomu Patented July 25, 1944 2,354,431 AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE George P. Bosomworth, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Firestone Tire 8; Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 6, 1941, Serial No. 392,065

9 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic control devices, and more especially it relates to mechanism adapted to control or maintain a movable element within fixed limits of movement. The invention has a wide range of utility and is especially adapted for use in apparatus such as employs a beam balance. An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein as an operative part of an apparatus for determining the tensile properties of an elastic work piece.

The chief objects of the invention are to provide a device of the character mentioned that is automatic in operation; and that is more sensitive than similar devices heretofore provided. More specifically the invention aims to provide a beam balance having means for propelling the counterpoise back and forth along the beam thereof, which means has no mechanical connection with the beam. Other objects will be manifest as-the description proceeds.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. I is a rear elevation of a testing apparatus embodying the invention, a part thereof being broken away;

Fig. II is a section on the line 11-11 of Fig. IV showing a detail of a pneumatically driven wheel;

Fig. III is a plan view of the beam or arm of the balance mechanism of the apparatus; and

Fig. IV is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. III.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a housing III that is constructed over a suitable framework, and mounted upon said framework, interiorly of the housing and in the upper region thereof, is a two-arm bracket or cradle II, which cradle has agate bearings I2, I2 mounted atop of its respective arms. Supported upon the bearings I2, between the same, is a balance beam that is designated as a whole by a character A, said beam comprising a hollow, hub-like, axial portion I3 that carries a knife-edge pivot 14, the latter projecting from opposite sides of said portion I3 and engaging with the respective bearings I2, whereby the beam may oscillate thereabout as a fulcrum. On one side the hub portion I3 of the beam is formed with a laterally extending formation I3a to which is secured an extension I5, the free end of the latter carrying a roller I6, Fig. I, to which one end of an endless, elastic work-piece I! may be secured. Means presently to be described is provided for engaging the other end of the work-piece to maintain the same under tension, the arrangement being such as to exert a downward pull on this end of the beam.

Extending laterally from the beam-hub I3, on the side thereof opposite the formation I3a, are three rods I9, 20, 20, the outer ends of which are connected to a bracket 2|, said rods constituting a support for said bracket. The rod I9 is disposed above the rods 20, the latter being disposed parallel to each other in the same substantially horizontal plane. The rods 20 constitute a support and trackway for a counterpoise 22 that is provided with pairs of flanged wheels 23, 23 at the top thereof, said wheels resting upon the respective rods 20 and the counterpoise being disposed between the rods. The counterpoise 22 is movable back and forth along the rods 20, and for effecting such movement a cable 24 Is provided, the respective ends of the cable being secured to the top face of said counterpoise. Intermediate its ends the cable is trained about an idler pulley 25 that is journaled in the bracket 2I, and about a driven pulley 26 that is mounted upon a shaft 21 that is Journaled within the beam hub I3, parallel to the pivot member I4 and below the latter. For driving the shaft 21, a worm wheel 28 is mounted thereon laterally of pulley 26, and meshed with said worm wheel is a worm 23 that is mounted upon a shaft 30, the latter being journaled within the beam hub I3 at right angles to the shaft 21. Also mounted upon the shaft 30 is a paddle wheel 3I that has two sets of non-radial vanes 3Ia, 3Ib arranged in side-by-side circumferential series, the vanes of one series being inclined in the opposite direction to, the vanes of the other series, as is best shown in Figure II, said paddle wheel constituting the rotor of a reversible rotary air motor. The rear wall of the beam hub I3 is formed with an aperture 32 through which the vanes of the paddle wheel 3I extend.

The paddle wheel 3I is driven alternatively in opposite directions, the arrangement being such as to drive the pulley 26, through the agency of shaft 30, worm gearing 29, 28, and shaft 21, and thereby to move the counterpoise 22 along the rods 20. For driving the paddle wheel 3!, pneumatic means is employed, there being a nozzle 34 directed toward the vanes Illa of the paddle wheel and a nozzle 35 directed toward the vanes 3Ib of the paddle wheel. The nozzles 34, 35 are so angularly disposed as to utilize the inclination of the respective vanes of the paddle wheel to best advantage. The nozzles 34, 35 are mounted upon the delivery ends of respective shown).

fluid pressure conductor pipes 80, 81, the latter and their nozzles having no physical connection with the beam A or parts carried thereby. Bald pipes extend to respective discharge ports of a manifold 38, which manifold has connection. through the agency of a supply pipe 80, with a suitable source of pneumatic pressure (not Carried by the manifold ll is a pair of Fcxboro air relay valves 40, 4| that are disposed in axial alignment with their confronting ends in spaced apart relation The Foxboro valves, 40, 4| are well known articles of commerce, and no detail description thereof will be required herein, it being sui'licient to note that exceedingly fine Jets of air normally are discharged from their confronting ends, and that the shutting off of these jets actuates the respective valve elements thereof. As shown in Fig. I, the manifold it is mounted upon the framework of the housing Ill beyond that end of the balance beam A that is remote from the work piece l1, therelay valves 40, 4| of the manifold being located on the side thereof that confronts the bracket 2| on the adjacent end of said beam. An operating finger 42 secured to the outer end of bracket 2| extends between the adjacent ends of the relay valves 40, 4|, the arrangement being such that as the balance beam A oscillates upon its fulcrum, the rise and fall of the operating linger 4! obstructs or modulates the air jet from one or the other of the valves 4|, 4| and thus causes a jet of air under variable pressure to be discharged from nomle 34, or nozzle 38 of the air motor. If valve 40 is actuated, air is discharged from nozzle 34 and paddle wheel ii is rotated in the direction which results in movement of the counterpoise 22 toward the outer end of the beam A, which movement continues until the pull on the opposite end of the beam is overcome, and the finger '42 descends. This effects the gradual shutting 03 of the pressure fluid to nozzle 34, and as the descending finger 42 actuates valve 4|, air is discharged from nozzle a to turn paddle wheel II in the direction that moves counterpoise 22 back toward the fulcrum of the beam, which movement is of very brief duration since the counterpoise quickly passes the point where the beam is in equilibrium, and the valve-operating end of the beam rises again. The operations described are then repeated, it being characteristic of the device that the finger 42 moves rapidly up and down, actuating valves 40, 4| in alternation, when equilibrium of the beam is established, the interval between actuations of plungers 4!, 4| being so brief as to effect only slight movement of the counterpoise 22, and suitable calibration (not shown) on the housing of the device may be provided for denoting the location of the counterpoise when equilibrium is established. The feature of havint; the beam move upon its pivot as described increases the sensitivity and accuracy of the device by reducing friction at the pivot, since dynamic friction is less than static friction. Preferably the constituent elements of the beam A, with the exception of the counterpoise 22, are composed of aluminum to reduce weight and inertia, the counterpoise however being composed of steel. The free end portion of the finger 4! may be rubber covered to improve its operation in the obstructing of the air jets from valves 40, 4|.

As previously stated, one end of the annular elastic work piece I1 is trained over a roller It upon the end of extension ll of the beam A. The other end of the work piece is trained about a roller 4| that projects from a vertical rod 40. the lower end of the latter being connected to suitable mechanism (not shown) by means of whichsaidrodmaybeaxiallyadjustedasrequired. The arrangement is such that the work piece is placed under determinate tension when the rod 40 is in its lowermost position as shown in Fig. I. While the work piece is being tested. it is desirable that it be maintained at constant determinate temperature, and to this end the work piece is positioned within an enclosure 41, and heated air is forced into said enclosure by means of a motor-driven blower '48. The extension ll of the beam arm extends into the enclosure 41 through a slot in the side thereof, and the rod 40 extends through a suitable aperture in the bottom of said enclosure. It will be obvious that the apparatus may be arranged to test work pieces of other constructions than the annular construction shown.

It is desirable that the mounting of the work piece II should not produce oscillation of the balance beam A, and this result is accomplished by the lifting of the balance beam 01! its pivot during the said operations. To this end a fluid pressure operated device I! is mounted atop the framework of housing It and has its movable element connected to one end of a lever II that is suitably fulcrumed intermediate its ends and has its other end connected to the top of formation Ila of the beam through the agency of a link B4. The arrangement is such that charging of the device I! will lift the balance beam A of! its pivot.

In the operation of the apparatus, the beam A is lifted off its pivot in the manner described while an endless elastic work piece is stretched about the rollers It and 4B. As soon as the work piece is in place, the device 52 is exhausted so as to lower the balance beam A onto its pivot, and the pneumatic motor automatically functions to move the counterpolse 22 along the beam until equilibrium thereof is established. 'Ihe position of the counterpoise when equilibrium is established is indication of the tensile properties of the work piece.

The balance mechanism is extremely sensitive, and the balancing thereof is effected automatically. The invention saves time and labor in the testing of elastic work pieces, and achieves the other advantages set out in the foregoing statement of objects.

, Modification may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

a 1. In a testing apparatus the combination of a frame, a balance beam fulcrumed thereon, means for connecting an elastic work piece to one end of said beam, a counterpoise movable along the opposite end portion of the beam, me-

chanical means for propelling said counterpoise. and a reversible rotary air motor for operating said mechanical propelling means, the rotor only of said air motor being carried by said beam, the remainder thereof being carried by said frame.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a frame, a balance beam fulcrumed thereon, a counterpoise on the beam movable longitudinally thereof, and means operatively connected to the counterpoise for propelling the same, said means comprising a reversible rotary air motor of which. the rotor alone is carried by the beam.

3. In a device of the character described the combination of a frame,- a balance beam fulcrumed intermediate its ends thereon, a counterpoise on the beam movable longitudinally thereof, a rotatable shaft carried by said beam, means operatively connecting said shaft to said counterpoise whereby the latter is moved back and forth along the beam in accordance with the direction of rotation of said shaft, and a reversible rotary air motor for rotating said shaft, the rotor of said motor being mounted on said shaft, the means for impelling said rotor being separate in its entirety from said beam.

4. In a device of the characterdescribed, the combination of a balance beam fulerumed intermediate its ends, a counterpoise thereon movable -longitudinally thereof, a shaft carried by said beam, a paddle wheel on said shaft, means mechanically separate in its entirety from the beam for directing jets of air under pressure against said paddle wheel, alternatively from different directions, to rotate the shaft in opposite directions, and means operatively connecting the shaft to the counterpoise so as to move the iat ter along the beam.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a balance beam fulcrumed intermediate its ends, a counterpoise thereon movable longitudinally thereof, a rotatable shaft carried by said beam, a paddle wheel carried by said shaft, a pair of fluid pressure nozzles positioned in spaced relation to said beam and directed at said paddle wheel from different directions,

means operatively connectingthe shaft to said counterpoise for moving the latterin different directions according to the direction of rotation of the shaft, and control means operated by the beam in different angular positions thereof for effecting the discharge of fluid pressure from one or the other of said nozzles.

6. A combination as defined in claim 5 wherein the paddle wheel comprises two sets of non-radial vanes, and the respective nozzles are angularly directed .in determinate relation to the inclination of said sets of vanes.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a balance beam fulcrumed intermediate its ends, a counterpoise movable longitudinally thereof, a shaft carried by said beam, means operatively connecting said shaft to said counterpoise whereby the latter is moved along the beam by rotation of said shaft, a paddle wheel on said shaft, a pair of fluid pressure nozzles in spaced relation to said beam and directed at said paddle wheel from different angles, a pair of opposed pilot valves modulating the dis. charge of air from the respective nozzles, and means carried by the beam for operating said pilot valves alternatively, and to a degree proportional to the extent of ofl-balance of the beam.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a frame, a balance beam fulcrumed intermediate its ends'on said frame, a counterpoise thereon movable longitudinally thereof, mechanical means including a rotatable shaft carried by the beam for propelling said counterpoise, reversible rotary air motor having its rotor only carried by the beam and connected-to said shaft to rotate thelatter, the remainder of the motor being carried by said frame, and means controlled by the angular position of the beam for controlling the direction I of rotation of said rotor.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a frame, a balance beam fulcrumed intermediate its ends in said frame, a counterpoise mounted upon one end portion of the beam and movable longitudinally thereof, an

endless cable to which said counterpoise is connected, a pair of pulleys carried by the beam and about which said cable is trained, and a reversible rotaryair motor for driving one of said pulleys, at least, alternatively in opp site directions, the rotor only of said motor being carried by the beamfthe remainder of the motor being carried by said frame.

GEORGE P. BOSOMWORTH. 

